Chicago Police Caught A Robber With Facial Recognition Technology, And He's Off To Prison For 22 Years

The first person arrested using Chicago police's new facial recognition technology has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, according to The Chicago Sun Times.

Pierre D. Martin, 35, was arrested for two armed robberies on Chicago's public transportation system. He was found with a new facial recognition technology the Chicago Police Department started using last year.

One of the robberies took place on Feb. 9, 2013, when Martin robbed a 20-year old man on a Pink Line train. He pulled out a gun and took the victim's cellphone. Martin stole another victim's cellphone at gunpoint at the same location just days earlier, on Jan. 28.

While Martin got away at the time, the Chicago Police Department was able to obtain images of the thief from surveillance cameras. Using the NeoFace technology, the police were able to compare the photos with the department’s 4.5 million mug shots and came up with Martin, who was then identified by witnesses.

Luckily for the Chicago Police, Martin's mug shot was in the system because he had been sentenced to three years in prison for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2009. Martin had also received probation in 2006 for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

While Chicago may be celebrating the use of the facial recognition technology in this arrest, many worry about the dangers in using the technology for criminal and legal purposes, especially in the case of the FBI, which is reportedly building its own facial recognition system. Privacy is already a big concern, with data being collected from Americans regardless of prior criminal activity.